5 things you never knew about The Babysitters Club

1. Guess who once posed as a cover model? Kirsten FRIGGIN’ Dunst. Yep. Her first job was as a model for ‘Claudia Gets a Phantom Phone Call’. (Although it’s more of a ‘if you say so’ situation’ because it really doesn’t look a lot like her. But still, great fact for you.)

2. Writer (aka GODMOTHER OF OUR DREAMS) Ann M. Martin was under pressure from publishers to cook up a ~ dark secret ~ in the series. Her first thought? Have Stacey’s father thrown into lock up for embezzlement! INTRIGUE! But, everyone agreed it was OTT. So she settled on Stacey having diabetes instead. Sigh.

3. The seminal ‘Claudia and the Sad Goodbye’, which dealt with Claudia coping with her grandmother’s death, was written soon after Ann M. Martin lost her own beloved gran.

4. Ever wondered, what happened to our girls? (Who would be around 37 right now) Well, according to Ann M. Martin:

Kristy is “probably the head of something, maybe a business.”Claudia’s an artist.Stacey’s doing “something in fashion, not necessarily design, but maybe the business end.”Mary Anne’s a teacher.Jessi is still “passionate about dance, but not a professional.”Dawn is “permanently in California.”And Mallory? Ann M. Martin does not have any “strong feelings” about Mallory.

5. Still have many unanswered questions? Us too. The great thing is Ann M. Martin is on Twitter [link https://twitter.com/authorannmartin ].And she apparently responds to every fan letter. So, if you’re really a fan, you’ll put pen to paper and await a written response from the best author of our childhoods (sorry Judy Blume).